


The Space Between

by elemie89



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-04-07 00:50:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14069298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elemie89/pseuds/elemie89
Summary: The First Order’s intelligence always seemed to come up short in locating the leaders of the Resistance. A lead would present itself, but they always just seemed to be too late. Their enemies continued to evade them. It had been following the same pattern for weeks now, the Supreme Leader would insist on going planet side to investigate. His closest advisors just assumed he liked to be more involved than his predecessor.Let the past die, kill it if you have to, his words coming back to haunt him. Perhaps it was time to take his own advice. Rey had severed their connection. Kylo Ren had tried to reach in to the galaxy, find her energy, and re-establish their Force-forged bond to no avail. His frustration was wearing on him. Sleep-deprived nights and racing thoughts of her were now his lot in life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all this is my first fan fic in the fandom (so please be kind :P). This fic is still a work in progress and I will do my hardest to update weekly, if possible :D. Song lyrics at the beginning of the chapter relate to what's about to happen in the chapter and are the work of their respective owners. So please enjoy and leave a comment if you liked it/ hated it/ whatever!

_Don't forget about the blue skies, sunrise, and all the space between_  
It's amazing how a girl like you can affect a guy like me  
All the pictures, memories and all the times we had  
Do you think that some things are better left unsaid?  
"The Space Between" - Valencia

The makeshift settlement was empty. The Resistance fighters who’d occupied it had definitely left in a hurry. That much was evident by the non-essential items left behind in order to ensure survival. They had taken only what they needed a fled the planet before their base was discovered.  
The Supreme Leader’s stark black outfit stood out against the lush greenery of – what planet was he even on? He’d lost track of how long and far he’d gone in search of her. He stormed off to his shuttle, leaving his Storm Trooper escorts in his wake. Flopping down in the cockpit, he took off his gloves, and threw them on the ground, the frustration with his elusive quarry boiling over. Throwing his head back in the seat, he stated the obvious to himself, another dead end.

The First Order’s intelligence always seemed to come up short in locating the leaders of the Resistance. A lead would present itself, but they always just seemed to be too late. Their enemies continued to evade them. It had been following the same pattern for weeks now, the Supreme Leader would insist on going planet side to investigate. His closest advisors just assumed he liked to be more involved than his predecessor.

_Let the past die, kill it if you have to_ , his words coming back to haunt him. Perhaps it was time to take his own advice. Rey had severed their connection. Kylo Ren had tried to reach in to the galaxy, find her energy, and re-establish their Force-forged bond to no avail. His frustration was wearing on him. Sleep-deprived nights and racing thoughts of her were now his lot in life.

The sleeplessness and unease had grown even worse since about 12 hours ago. Kylo Ren had been walking through his Star Destroyer after meetings with his generals. His thoughts suddenly became aware of a void in the galaxy. Overwhelming loss and sadness flowed through his body and thoughts. The last time he’d been so acutely aware of powerful feelings like this was when his Force connection with Rey was open and thriving. A chilling thought made him stop cold in his tracks.

These crippling thoughts and feelings of emptiness brought the worse-case scenario to the forefront of his mind. Something terrible had happened to the woman who’d occupied most of his waking thoughts. Time was of the essence and she needed to be found…yesterday. His temper and rage were insatiable until there was word that this planet was being used as a Resistance outpost.

He couldn’t sense the imprint of her presence as he surveyed the planet. He could also thank the Maker that no sign of anyone being injured on the planet. Despite this, he was now forced to consider another possibility.

Thoughts he didn’t want to entertain were now entering his mind. He was now faced with the fact that she didn’t want to be found. It was nothing new to him, but her? _No_ , he told himself, centering his thoughts. He hardened his mind, bringing his shuttle to life. As he made his way to his Star Destroyer, he vowed to erase all thoughts of Rey of Jakku from his mind. This obsession was foolish and unbecoming of the head of the First Order.

He needed be alone in his quarters upon arriving back to the Star Destroyer, but that was not to be. General Hux demanded his attention upon disembarking his shuttle. More logistics and battle decisions that required his approval. Begrudgingly, he made his way to the bridge to meet with his second in command.

The usual business of war was discussed and the Supreme Leader gave his directives to General Hux. Just as he was going to retire to his quarters, General Hux was handed a tablet by one of his many underlings. Hux surveyed the usual intelligence, when a particular piece of news caught his eye and made him smile.

“Supreme Leader!” he called to Kylo’s back.

He turned, “Yes, General?”

“I have news which might brighten your mood,” he said, pointing to his tablet.

“And what might that be?”

“There’s one less Resistance Leader to contend with,” Hux said, barely containing his glee. Kylo froze.

“Who?” he hissed, suppressing the feelings bubbling to the surface. Something had happened to her.

“Their general, Leia Organa is dead”

He nodded, acknowledging his general’s words. Slight relief washed over him. Thank the Maker she was safe, but…no, he stopped his thoughts in their tracks. Grief was weakness. His former master had drummed that in to his head from an apprentice. Re-centering himself and strengthening his resolve was his priority right now. He went off to do just that.

 

Halfway across the galaxy, or so it seemed, the Supreme Leader’s elusive quarry stood in front of a pane of glass on an unmarked Resistance ship. Starring in to the abyss of space, another tear managed to escape her reddened eyes. She didn’t think she was capable of shedding so many tears, but here she was. The woman who had been such a source of strength for many, was now gone. Leia had been gone for just under a day and many on the ship were still processing the news.  
Rey couldn’t close her eyes. Every time she did, she saw Poe with his head down and shoulders slumped. He meets Rey’s eyes over the lifeless body of their fearless leader, shakes his head, and a fresh wave of grief washes over her anew. Rey and Poe had been keeping vigil inside of Leia’s room in her final hours. Two days ago, she’d entered the sick bay after fainting in the command center of their latest makeshift base.

They had abandoned their settlement when this happened. The Resistance knew they were sitting ducks with an ailing general. Movement was the only thing that could ensure their survival. The medics couldn’t figure out why she was sick and continuing to decline.

She still had enough strength to look Poe in the eye and tell him, “Poe, I’m old. I’ve had an amazing life. Please move me to my quarters and make me comfortable, there’s nothing more they can do.”

They carried out her wishes. Rey couldn’t bear to leave the room where Leia was. Neither could Poe. For nearly a day, they sat beside her as she slipped away in almost total silence.

Now she was gone.

Rey didn’t think she had any more tears left in her for Leia. Her exhaustion from the last few days had finally and suddenly caught up with her. She decided to head off to her room and attempt to get some form of sleep. Upon arriving in her room, she switched in to more comfortable clothes for sleeping. Flopping down on her bed, she closed her eyes and, with great difficulty, willed all thoughts of the last 48 hours out of her head.

It had almost worked, she was in that blissful place in between wakefulness and sleep, when feelings not from her own mind washed over her. Her eyes flung open, she sat up in her bed, breathless. Greif, anger, and loneliness welled up inside of her and she was confused as to where they had come from. Closing her eyes and searching her feelings, the answer came to her. Coming face-to-face with the man who owned those feelings was not something she wanted to deal with right now, but upon opening her eyes, she saw that the Force had other ideas for the two of them.

Rey found herself aboard the _Supremacy_ , face to face with Kylo Ren himself. She found him sitting on the floor of, what she assumed was, his expansive chambers. His head was in his hands, she assumed that he must not have felt her enter. There was a table overturned and broken glass around it. He knows, she thought to herself, he truly did care about his mother.

“Ben,” she said softly, as not to startle him.

He looked up at her. In his haze of emotion, it took him a few seconds to process what was going on around him, but when he did, he drew a sharp breath in surprise

“You came back,” he said staring up at her.

Rey couldn’t help but the face of a helpless child in the man before her.

“Are you alright?” she asked, moving closer to him.

He stared at her for a few seconds, not speaking. As their eyes were locked on one another, she could feel his mood turn. Anger and confusion welled up in his heart, all of it directed at…her. Rey was a bit taken back by this, her confusion spilling on to her face.

“Where were you?! I looked for you, but you’ve been running from me!”

Rey sighed, she didn’t have time for this, she was exhausted and wasn’t about to let him project his anger on to her, “Nice to see you too”

Kylo grew more frustrated, “Answer my question!”

“Last time I saw you, you had just finished murdering your uncle and trying to kill your mother, my friends, and me, so please spare me your anger,” she shot back.

“Well, you said it yourself, I am a monster…” Kylo said, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

Rey sighed, “I thought because we reconnected, that you might be reaching out to me because you wanted to talk, you wanted my help”

That seemed to shut Ren up. Rey took a deep breath, turned her back on him and continued, “I don’t have the energy to do this with you now, I’m tired”

She closed her eyes in an attempt to close the bond between them once again.

“Rey, I…,” his toned had softened.

She closed her eyes even tighter, the way he said her name brought back memories of them in the throne room together. However, he hadn’t changed. Not yet.

She couldn’t risk opening herself up to him again to lose him to the dark side. Not yet.

“When you’re actually ready to have a conversation and not yell, I’ll be here. Goodbye, Ben”

Kylo tried to speak again, but it was too late. She was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A goodbye and two unexpected things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait in between chapters! Blame life and a serious case of writers block. Please enjoy Chapter 2, leave some kudos, leave a comment, and tell your friends!

Chapter 2

The Resistance had settled on Endor. Now the problem became how to lay their late leader to rest. Poe assumed the mantle of leader upon their arrival to the planet. Rey had to give him credit, he did a masterful job of assigning tasks to build a base until they could strengthen their numbers. Plans were made to establish communications and a command center, but when it came to honoring their late general, no one could seem to agree. Rey began to let her thoughts wander as the gathering devolved into a mess of everyone talking over each other.

Everyone was so sure of the fact that their home planet’s custom was the way to go. If she was being perfectly honest, Rey didn’t care for any of the options presented. , the thought crept in to her mind, _ugh, no, Rey…get a hold of yourself_. She quickly told herself that was not an option and she chided herself for even thinking it. Poe’s voice brought Rey out of her thoughts and brought the room to order. He told the room that it was clear they weren’t getting anywhere right now and he dismissed everyone to begin the work of rebuilding.

Rey needed solace and solitude after that stressful meeting. Even though they were small in numbers, Rey was quite used to working alone. She retreated to the Falcon. She decided to skim through the ancient Jedi texts that she had become the keeper of since Luke’s death. Retrieving the books, she decided on a spot near the dejarik set to read. Opening the books, she began to immerse herself in their wisdom. Since the death of her former Jedi master, her training had come to a stand-still. She hoped what was written in these texts would continue her training and grow her in to the Jedi she was always meant to be.

As she studied the books, a nagging feeling that she wasn’t alone came over her. She peered up from her books, and saw him standing a few feet away from her.

“I’m a little busy right now,” she said barely peering up from her reading.

“Rey…” Kylo said softly.

His tone sent warm tingles down her spine. _Kriff_ , she said to herself, _how does he do that?_ She looked up and saw his face. It wasn’t as twisted and angry as it was when they had spoken last. Nevertheless, she steeled her resolve and answered him, “What is it?”

“I..,” he couldn’t seem to get more words out.

“What Kylo?”

He sighed, “I hate when you call me that”

Rey scoffed and shook her head.

“You’re still mad at me over the way I spoke to you,” Kylo realized, out loud.

“What do you think?” Rey said, shooting him a look that made his answer more than obvious.

“You weren’t there when I needed you!”

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“You shut me out!” Kylo said, Rey could sense him getting increasingly angry.

Rey slammed the Jedi text shut and stood up, “Need I remind you, you ordered the murder of half my friends and you killed my mentor – who happened to be your uncle!”

“All I wanted was for you to come with me!” he shouted over the end of her sentence.

Rey shook her head, “You still don’t get it, do you? We’re on opposite sides of this. I won’t come with you. Now, you certainly can’t come to me. You’re the Supreme Leader for kriff’s sake, it’s what you’ve been groomed for, for years”

“So where does that leave us?,” Kylo said after a pause.

Rey sighed, “It leaves us right here, connecting when we think no one’s around.”

“Why?” He asked.

“Because I still think there’s enough of your father and mother in you that Snoke didn’t snuff out. I believe you can be saved,” Rey said, inching closer to Kylo.

“I’ve given you no reason to.” He said, hanging his head. “I don’t deserve this faith you have in me”

“Well…there was the two times I tried to kill you and called you a monster,” Rey said, stifling a smile.

“Twice,” Kylo said, with a smirk reminiscent of his father.

“Twice,” Rey said rolling her eyes.

Kylo’s smirked remained for a few seconds. Then, an awkward silence descended between them for just a moment and Kylo broke it, “You were deciding how to honor my mother before you came here?”

Rey flopped down on the bench and sighed, “Yes, and no one can seem to agree on what to do. Thinking about it is giving me a headache”

“I see,” he said, inching closer to her and taking a seat on the bench near her.

“Do you have anything to offer? Any ancient customs from Alderaan we should be observing?”

Ren sighed, “Unfortunately, no. Most of my knowledge of my mother’s home planet comes from a history book my mother serendipitously had off planet when

Alderaan was destroyed. Everything else was lost”

Rey shook her head, “Awesome.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful,” he replied.

“Quite alright, figured it was a long shot asking you” Rey said, fiddling with the cover of her Jedi text.

“What about a Jedi funeral?” Ben said, his eyes lingering over the book Rey was playing with.

Rey’s eyes widened, “Wait, that exists?’

Kylo smirked at his companion’s enthusiasm, “My uncle didn’t explain that to you?”

“No,” she replied. There was a lot they didn’t get to talk about. “Do you think she’d like that?”

“My mother was stronger with the Force then she let on. I could always sense it, even though I didn’t know what it was when I first sensed it. I think it’s the perfect way to honor her.”

Ren spent the next minute explaining the finer points of Jedi funerals to Rey. Then the conversation turned to other topics. As they talked, Rey had forgotten she’d come in to the Falcon to be alone, to seek solitude. She couldn’t explain it, but she didn’t mind that she wasn’t alone now. She didn’t mind the companionship and company at the moment. Kylo, Rey sensed, was grieving in his own way, but their shared sadness didn’t hang over their conversation like a black cloud.

They sat and talked as old friends and had lost track of how long they’d been with one another. Then something distracted the Supreme Leader. Rey couldn’t see what, but he turned his head and sat up straighter.

“I’ll be right there” he said, his tone changing.

He looked back at her and Rey sighed, “Duty calls?”

Kylo nodded.

“Go ahead,” Rey said, waving him away, “Sometimes I forget that we’re supposed to hate each other all the time”

“Funny how that works,” Kylo said, turning to leave.

With that, their bond was broken and Rey found herself alone once again. However, this time she wasn’t glad of it. She felt an aching in her chest at his absence. Rey had grown fond of Ben whether more than she cared to admit. Ben, not Kylo Ren. This was an important distinction in Rey’s mind. Ben was the man who’d come to her through the Force bond. Ben was he man who’d they’d shared each other’s loneliness and insecurities. Kylo Ren was the hot-headed, vengeful head of the First Order and right now she ached for the former’s company.

She flopped her head back against the wall of the ship, closed her eyes, sighed, and tried to will her feelings away.

 

Somehow, someway, Rey managed to plead the worthiness of Jedi funeral to her Resistance companions. Prior to Luke Skywalker’s mysterious heroics on Crait, her fellow freedom fighters had never seen the Force in action, much less met a Jedi. The sense she got from her comrades, in the short time she’d been around them was that Force users were to be feared. Force-sensitive people, they assumed, used their powers for evil and not the betterment of the galaxy.

Rey could hardly blame them. Former Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren were hardly prime examples of how to channel the Force. Powerful as they were, they used the Force for their own ill-gotten gains. When they were witness to Rey’s former Master swooping in and saving the day using his all-mysterious powers, their eyes became opened. Rey sensed that they were both in awe and slightly fearful of the power that her and Luke wielded.

When Rey spoke up at the next general gathering, her companions whispered in revered tones and agreed with her plan. Poe assigned a few members of the Resistance to gather wood for the pyre. They reconvene at twilight and were about to begin. Poe stood by the pyre with a torch at the ready. The other members of their ragtag group stood facing him in a semi-circle. He turned his face to Rey,

“Would you like to say a few words, Rey?”

Rey was startled by his statement and hesitated. Finn and Rose, standing right next to her, nodded and urged her forward. She drew in a long breath and stepped forward. She took a spot next to Poe. Everyone’s eyes were transfixed on her, making Rey grow even more uncomfortable than she already was. Breathe, Rey, she told herself, just breathe.

“We’re here to honor our fallen general and see as she becomes one with the force.” Rey said. _Kriff, that was terrible_ , she said, turning to Poe and nodding.

Poe placed the torch on the pyre and it caught ablaze. Rey starred at the fire catching. The orange and yellow colors dancing against the darkening night sky mesmerized her. A familiar sensation came over her and she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She rubbed her eyes, assuming she was seeing things from dry eyes and exhaustion. Looking again, she knew she wasn’t.

Kylo Ren’s figure appeared as clear as day, where she hoped she was seeing things. Steeling herself, she had to give the appearance that nothing was amiss. She stared at him for a few seconds. Noticing a tear escaping from his eyes, she was reminded of the occasion. They were, in fact, saying goodbye to his mother.  
Through the bond, Rey could sense his feelings. Regret. They had left many things unsaid throughout the years they had been separated. Love. Ben’s heart ached.

Rey could sense that deep down, he just wanted to see his mother and hug her one last time. The more she delved into his mind, the more sadness, misery, and grief she uncovered. Rey had probed his mind before, seen his emotions. However, this time was different. This time, they were more raw, closer to the surface, more easily viewed.

Rey’s breathing became more rapid as they shared the full weight of them. A lump developed in the back of her throat, and tears came to her eyes as she tried to remain stoic. As she wiped a tear from her eye, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Looking over, she saw Rose giving her a supportive, sad smile. Rey weakly returned the smile and went back to looking at the pyre.

Anxiety crept over her now that Rose had brought her out of her force-induced haze. She looked over where she had seen him and he, the Supreme Leader of the First Order, was gone now. Rey shook her head and chided herself that she kept having to remind herself of this very important fact. How much had he seen? Could he easily identify where they were?

Paranoid, Rey looked at their surroundings. It was dark and she didn’t see much but some non-descriptive trees. There was no hologram sign announcing “Enjoy beautiful Endor”, but she was still certain Kylo Ren could identify where they were given enough clues. She shook her head, Master Luke was right, I’m endangering my friends for a pair of pretty eyes. Filled with a sense of overwhelming urgency, Rey knew she needed to end this. First, she needed to find out how much he knew, but ultimately she had to close their Force Bond for the greater good.

Knowing that darting away and her absence from their makeshift ceremony would most certainly be noted, Rey stayed where she was. Centering herself and bring her emotions under control, she only broke away once the fire had been extinguished and everyone had resumed their business.  
In between the ceremony site and where they’d chosen to set up camp, there was an old Imperial outpost building slightly off the path. No one had really taken note of it except her and Poe. Rey snuck off the path and into the abandoned building. Rey figured she could somehow do what she needed to in here with relative privacy.

“Ben?” Rey said, once ensuring she was truly alone, closing her eyes, willing him to appear. She let out a sigh of frustration when it didn’t work. Neither of them understood the mechanics of this Force Bond, but Rey figured it was worth a try.

She flopped down on a bench that she found with the aid of a flashlight. Rey had only been playing with her flashlight for a few seconds when she felt it. It was only a matter of time before he appeared again.

She jumped to her feet when she saw him, “What did you see?!”

“What?” he said, almost somewhat in a daze.

“When you saw your mother, what did you see?” she demanded.

“Only her,” he said, she could tell he was trying to fight back tears. Nevertheless, she didn’t relent.

“What can you see right now? Can you see my surroundings?” she pressed.

“Just pieces of it. I can’t tell, Rey,” he said, growing weary of her current line of questioning.

“Do you know where I am?!”

“Rey, if I knew, I…,” he paused. He was fighting a lump in his throat and tears.

“You what?” Rey asked, her tone softening.

“I would have come myself, but we both know that’s not possible,” he said, his voice breaking.

“Ben, I’m sorry” Rey began. She sat back down on the bench, making her stance less threatening.

He waved his hand, cutting her off, “I heard what you said about her. I’m surprised Dameron didn’t take the chance to hear himself talk”

“He surprised me with that too,” Rey said. “Hope I did her justice…”

“My mother was a very complex, dynamic woman. That’s no small task,” Ben responded.

“Should have talked about how she was like a mother figure to many,” Rey said.

“Except when it really counted,” Ben said. Rey could taste the bitterness in his words as he flopped down on the bench next to her.

“Oh,” she said, not having considered her words before she spoke. “I’m sorry”

He shrugged, “She didn’t understand me. She never tried”

“Never?” Rey probed.

“She just shifted the responsibility, made it Luke’s problem”

“She wanted to give you the best shot at being the best Jedi you could. Your father and her put you with the person who could give you the best chance for that,” Rey reasoned.

Ben scoffed, “You saw how well that turned out”

“You want to know what I told Luke? I told him that he failed you by thinking your choice was made”

Ben grew silent, pondering the weight of those words. He’d never considered it from that angle before.

“I miss her too,” Rey said, breaking their silence.

Almost in a whisper, Ben said, “I wish we’d had more time together”

Rey nodded, “Me too”

Kylo reached for Rey’s hand and took it, Rey was a bit surprised by this, but she relaxed her hand around his anyway. She gave him a weak smile as stared into her eyes. Rey was about to speak, when Kylo surprised her with a kiss. He’d leaned in and done it so swiftly, Rey didn’t have time to react. Even more surprising was the fact that she wasn’t fighting him, she was even enjoying this. Until she remembered who she was kissing, and pushed him away.

“Ben, no,” she said, looking away from him, “we can’t”

“Right...opposite sides and all that,” he responded, still looking at her.

Rey nodded, “There’s still time, you can change that”

He nodded and then disappeared. Rey put her hand to her mouth and let out a huge sigh. Kriff, what just happened?, Rey asked herself. She groaned and threw her head back against the wall. She knew she care about Ben. She saw the conflict in him and wanted to help. However, she had no explanation for what just occurred. _What do I do now?_ , she asked herself. With that, she picked herself up and decided to make her way back to her companions.

A few minutes later, she entered their camp. She was still in her thoughts, that she didn’t hear the Resistance physician call her name several times. His hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her head.

“Rey!” she heard him say when her head snapped around. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” she lied.

“Very well then. Have you seen General Dameron? I really need to speak with him,” he said.

“Not recently, but I think he said something about wanting to see how communications were coming along. I’ll take you there,” she said, leading the way.

They arrived at the com center and Rey found Poe, who was reviewing some equipment with Finn.

“Doc, good to see you. How can I help you?” Poe said, extending a hand for a handshake.

The older man met his gesture of welcome, “May I speak freely?”

“Sure, you can speak in front of these two. Trust ‘em with my life,” Poe responded.

“Well,” he began, picking up one of the tablets laying around in the room and pressed a few buttons.“I’ve concluded the autopsy you ordered on General Leia”

Rey had nearly forgotten that Poe had commissioned an autopsy on her. Judging by the expression on Poe’s face, he had as well.

“And? Got any news for me?” Poe asked.

“Preliminary toxicology reports suggest that General Leia…”

“Well, doc?” Poe said, growing impatient.

“General Leia...well, she was poisoned”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Dun, dun, dunnnn_!!! Stay tuned y'all!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After an *extremely* long hiatus my muse came back to me and allowed me to put forth this chapter. Thank you for your patience and please do enjoy.

Chapter 3

“General Leia... Well, she was poisoned,” the Resistance’s doctor said.

 

Rey’s eyes widened.

 

“Poisoned?!” Poe asked in disbelief. 

 

“Doctor, are you sure?” Finn questioned. 

 

As he showed them the results on the holopad, Rey asked, “Do we know what type of poison was used?”

 

“Manax-root poison, according to my results here,” the doctor showed the trio. 

 

Finn and Rey remained silent and looked to Poe. He finally spoke, “What’s your name again, doc?”

 

“Dr. Abysond,” he replied. 

 

“Well, Dr. Abysond, can anyone access your records?” 

 

“No, not even my nurse has access,” the doctor replied. “She only sees the records I allow her to see. I maintain strict confidentiality.” 

 

“Okay, good. What was just said does not leave this room, understood? The last thing I need is a panic in the camp.” 

 

Dr. Abysond, Finn, and Rey nodded in agreement. Poe turned to the doctor, “Is that all you had for me?”

 

The doctor nodded and bid his goodbyes to the trio. 

 

Poe sighed. “Okay, so obviously someone got close enough to poison Leia, but how?”

 

Finn and Rey gave him looks that let him know they were just as confused as he was. And if Rey were being honest with herself at the moment, there was a little - no - a lot of fear mixed in with her confusion too. Whoever was responsible was freely walking among them. Rey feared that any one of them could be next. 

 

“I need you two to look into this, alright?” Poe asked.

 

“We’ll do our best,” Finn responded for the both of them.

 

Poe rubbed his eyes, clearly weary from his newfound responsibilities. “Okay, coms should be up and running in the morning. We can send out another beacon when it’s ready and rally more people to the cause. For now, we need sleep — and by ‘we,’ I mean ‘me.’” 

 

With that they went their separate ways and Rey fell into a fitful night’s sleep. Dawn broke and Rey decided further sleep was a futile mission. She heard a fire crackling in the main area of the encampment, so she decided to dress and see who else was awake. 

 

To Rey’s delight, it was Finn who was suffering from insomnia too. Rey seized upon the opportunity to see if he had any insights into the developments from last night.

 

“Hey peanut,” she greeted as she walked closer to the fire he was stoking. 

 

“Hey,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “You do any thinking about... you know?”

 

“I did nothing  _ but _ think. To tell you the truth, I’m scared, Finn. Scared that Poe, you, or I could be next,” Rey explained, rubbing her forehead. 

 

“Come on, Rey,” he said, touching her shoulder. “I won’t let that happen to you.” 

 

Rey gave him a sincere smile, moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Finn draped his arm around her shoulder as she spoke. “Thanks. You’re a true friend.”

 

Finn smiled. “Maybe we could start by retracing Leia’s steps before she got sick. See where she was.” 

 

“That’s as good a place as any to start,” Rey agreed wearily. 

 

“Should I be concerned here?” Rose’s giggle and voice brought their conversation to a halt. 

 

Rey sat up straight and turned around to see her friend. Finn went over and placed his hands on her arms, giving her a peck on the lips. Rey looked away from their private moment. She felt a tingling in her lips and a phantom sensation of pressure where a certain Supreme Leader had placed his lips the night before. Rey sighed, just another thing further complicating her life. 

 

The camp began to come alive as Rey stared at the fire a little bit longer. Her comrades were getting ready for the day and getting breakfast. Rey decided food was a good idea. Someone else came along to tend the fire and Rey got up to tend to her growling stomach.

 

Rey went about the motions of the day and found herself in what was to be the command center. Upon arriving on planet, a small scouting team had found an abandoned Imperial communications building. Kaydel and Rose had determined that with a little bit of elbow grease and exchanging of some parts, it would serve their purposes. Poe wanted that made priority, so anyone with the slightest technical know-how was sent there to help repair it. 

 

Rey didn’t mind that Rose dragged her along to help in the rebuilding efforts. If anything, her years on Jakku had given her enough know-how to fix a variety of things. This was comfortable. This was familiar. If only that skill set translated to fixing her life problems too, Rey mused.

 

“You doing alright, Rey?” Kaydel asked. 

 

“What?” Rey asked, her companion’s voice startling her back into the present. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

“Sorry,” Kaydel giggled. “Just checking.”

 

“Yeah, we’ve just noticed you’ve been in your head a little today,” Rose chimed in. 

 

“Oh, sorry... Just didn’t sleep well last night….” Rey replied, her voice trailing off.

 

“Is it Leia? I know last night was pretty hard for you.” Rose placed a hand on Rey’s shoulder. 

 

“Well, yes…,” Rey began. 

 

“But there’s something else on your mind too,” Connix finished for her.

 

Rey nodded. Connix, fiddling with the gears in her hand quipped jokingly, “Man troubles?”

 

“No,” Rey replied rather quickly. She could immediately feel the heat creep in to her cheeks as she looked down at the floor. She traced a shape on the table, avoiding their gaze. 

 

Connix took note of her expression. “Oh, I see…What did Dameron do now?”

 

“Kaydel!” Rose , exasperated. “That’s none of our business!”

 

“Sorry,” Kaydel replied, backing down. 

 

“It’s alright. It’s not Poe and it’s... complicated”

 

Rose gave Rey a knowing smile. “It’s okay, Rey. You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, right, Kaydel?” 

 

“Right. You’re right, Rose. Again, I’m sorry, Rey,” Kaydel responded, getting back to her work. 

 

Rose gasped over at her workstation. Rey and Kaydel rushed over to her. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Rey asked. 

 

“Nothing! Go get Poe, we have comms back!” Rose clapped with excitement. 

 

Rey was glad for the welcome interruption. Someone - Rey cursed the fact that she was so terrible with names - ran out of the center and returned minutes later with Poe. Beaming with hope, Poe ordered another beacon to be sent out to rally everyone to their cause. Rey just hoped and prayed it would work.

  
  


***

 

Onboard Kylo Ren’s dreadnought, his war room was a hive of activity. The high ranking officials of the First Order were assembled for their daily meeting, all were waiting for their leader. The familiar his off the air door called the room to quiet. All stood still as the Supreme Leader, sans helmet, strode in the room with his black cape flowing behind him. General Hux followed closely behind him, with his familiar smug attitude and scowl. 

 

“Be seated,” Ren said as he sat in his oversized chair at the head of the rectangular table. 

 

Ren enjoyed this commanding view of the room. All eyes were on him, awaiting his commands and hanging on his every word. This was all familiar to him, which was a welcome respite from the chaos that swirled internally this past week. In this room, there was no conflict, only the Dark. In this room, he was firmly in control or so it felt that way. 

 

He placed his gloved hands on the table. Drumming them, he asked, “Where are we with new systems and fealty pledges?”

 

A low-level lackey, whose name escaped the Supreme Leader at the moment, spoke up. “We’ve made progress on Xa Fei. Prime Minister Jolla Pepe is close to signing the pledge and contracts General Hux sent her.”

 

“Contracts?” Ren sat up straighter. “Why am I just hearing about this? Contracts for what?”

 

The lackey stammered.

 

Hux spoke up. “Ah, very good. I haven’t had a moment to discuss our plans for Xa Fei with the Supreme Leader, but here we are! I have plans to use their decrepit warehouses for…”

 

Kylo’s anger seethed up inside him; he threw up a finger to tell his general to stop talking immediately. Through the Force, Hux unwillingly complied.

 

“Give us the room,” the Supreme Leader commanded. 

 

All assembled quickly shuffled out of the room, fearing angering their leader any further. Finally, when Hux and Kylo were alone, he loosened his grip and allowed his general to speak. 

 

“You continue to make a mockery of me, General,” Kylo began. 

 

“Supreme Leader,” Hux interrupted. 

 

Once more, he used the Force to silence him and asked, “Am I your Supreme Leader?”

 

Hux began to tug at his collar, struggling for air. He attempted to nod in spite of his difficulties. 

 

“You’ve defied me once again, General. Next time, I won’t be so generous.” 

 

Kylo flicked his fingers. 

 

Hux flew across the room and landed on the floor on his back. He caught his breath as anger seethed up in him. 

 

“You should be  _ thanking _ me!” Hux sneered as Kylo turned to exit the room.

 

“Oh and why’s that, General Hux?” Kylo asked, surprised by his general’s impertinence.  

 

“You’re lucky we placed a spy in their camp or else we’d still have to contend with General Organa,” Hux sneered. 

The Supreme Leader squared his shoulders and strode over. “What did you say?”

“I’m the one who ordered her death. I placed a spy in their camp to kill her,” Hux revealed. He stood up and almost went toe-to-toe with Kylo. “Granted, my spy had to improvise as she wasn’t my intended target. Nonetheless, it was a victory for us.” 

 

“And who might your intended target have been?” Kylo asked, his fists slowly clenching. 

 

“The Jedi girl Skywalker had been training. She needed to be dealt with, you’ve been unable to make the difficult calls since your obsession with her began,” Hux replied. 

 

The Supreme Leader had now reached his boiling point with his general’s insubordination. His nostrils flared, but instead of hate and anger spilling out of him, a lump began to form in his throat. He choked it back and raised his hands choking Hux and raising him up in the air. 

 

“Who is your Supreme Leader?” he hissed. 

 

“You... are…” Hux choked out between gasps of air. 

 

Kylo lowered his hand abruptly. Hux fell to the ground, landing on his stomach. “Apology accepted, General Hux.” 

 

With that, the Supreme Leader turned and left the room. Hux shook with rage as he watched Kylo Ren exit.  _ I should be in command here _ , he seethed as he had done so many times before. He had about enough of being disrespected and pushed around by Ren. He decided it was time to take charge for good. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge hug and thank you for reading this. If you like it, please leave a comment/ kudos. I have a huge praise kink and they are my lifeblood, like coffee. 
> 
> As always, much UWUs and love to my amazeballs beta [theselittlethings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theselittlethings) for encouraging me. I couldn't this without her. 
> 
> If you liked this, please check out my modern AU ["Hey Bartender"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15142034/chapters/35112815). 
> 
> If you'd like to get updates about this story and my other works, please subscribe and follow on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/em_is_writing).


End file.
